It’s always fun when I get to go out in the country for my weekly innerview, cuz they’re usually outside, in the fresh air. Like this week.
I got a woof-mail from a FREN who hadda FREN who hadda DAW-ter who hadda HORSE, Poco Clark, who, I was informed, had the State-of-Flori-duh in white hair on her shoulder.
No Woof! Cool Kibbles, right?
She even sent me a pick-shur, but it was Up Close so I COULD tell it TOTALLY looked like the State-of-Flori-duh. But I COULDN’T tell what POCO looked like.
Me an my assistant drove way out along a buncha country roads an turned down a real pretty one with lotsa trees anna house anna big green grassy PASS-chur with a fents, an two very well-groomed horses hangin’ out under a liddle wood shelter, one all brown, the other brown with white splashes.
A Very Frenly Young Grrrl came out to meet us. Her name’s Annabelle Clark, who’s a TEEN person, an Poco’s Mom. As we followed Annabelle out to the PASS-chur, the horses came up to the fents. I recognized Poco right away: She was shiny brown with several white splashes, including one on her shoulder which Totally looked like the State-of-Flori-duh.
“Hay there! You’re Mr. Bonzo, aren’t you?” she said in a frenly whinny. (I remembered, from the few other horses I’d innerviewed, that Horse Talk is called Whinny, an it’s pretty easy to understand.)
“Hay!” I replied. “Yep, that’s me.”
“I’m Pocahontas Clark,” she continued, with a graceful toss of her mane. “But everybody calls me Poco. You met my Mom, Annabelle. An this is my sidekick, Cajun, he’s just 6, so I’m the boss.”
“Well, hello! I’m so happy to meet you both!” I said, looking (way) up into their big, cool faces, mostly their noses.
“Hay! Mr. Dog!” said Cajun.
“Cajun’s a Quarterhorse,” Miss Poco continued. “They’re called that cuzza how fast they can run a quarter mile. I’m what’s called a Paint, cuz humans think we sorta look like we’ve been, you know, painted cool colors with white splashes in all different padderns.
“In case you didn’t notice yet, I have a Super Cool white splash on my shoulder which, I’ve been told, looks Just Like the State-of-Florida. Humans think it’s Very Cool. I think it’s kinda pretty. See?”
She turned to the side so we could see her shoulder better. It DID have a big white Cool Kibbles splash shaped just like the State-of-Florida, which I knew cuz I saw Florida onna MAP one time.
My assistant was rootin’ around in The Satchel an, instead of the usual dog an cat treats, produced several chunks of apple an, after gettin’ the OK from Miss Annabelle, flat-handed them to Poco an Cajun, who quickly slurped them totally UP.
“MMMM, duh-LISH! THANK you!” said Miss Poco.
“Our pleasure,” I replied. “Your Speshull White Splash IS Very Pretty, Miss Poco! It’s you-NEEK!” I exclaimed, then asked, “I understand you two an your Mom do some kind of Cool Kibbles competition all over the State-of-Florida where she rides Really Fast. An there’s, um, something about barrels. It sounded exciting!”
“It totally IS! See, my Mom’s been riding a long time; since she was a liddle kid, 8 I think.
She’s 15 now!” Miss Poco whinnied with pride. “An, she started doin’ barrels when she was only 9. She’s Really Good, too!”
“Pawsome! Umm, what’s ‘doin’ barrels’?” I inquired.
“Oh, sorry. It’s a sorta game. It’s usually part of a rodeo an …”
“Err, what ‘s a ROW-d-o?”
Miss Poco an Cajun exchanged glances, an I was preddy sure they were thinkin’ “this dog sure doesn’t know much about horses.”
Which was totally troo.
She gave a liddle snorty laugh an explained, “A rodeo is a Big Event where humans an horses compete in lotsa games. In barrel racin’, a human grrrl anna horse are a team. An they compete to see which team’s fastest. There are three big barrels inna wide tri-angle inna arena an there’s this long alleyway into the arena: the team starts runnin’ an, soon as they cross the start line, the timer starts an they run Super Fast down the alleyway into the arena an around the barrels in a cloverleaf paddern then fly back down the alleyway. An the fastest team wins!”
“Woof, Miss Poco, that sounds SO Excitin’!”
“It IS. Mom’s Mom saw me online an when we achshully met an Mom got on me, she knew I was The Horse for her. She says I’m her Heart Horse. Me an Mom have competed all over:
Fellsmere, Cracker Day, Cocoa, Okeechobee, an we have a buncha ribbons and trow-fees.
“But then I got a Serious IN-jury. I backed into some barb wire and hurt my leg an Mom got called at school, I think she was in 6th grade. She was cryin’ an everything. Now me an Mom only compete about three times a year. Plus, I’m 20 now. Cajun also competes, speshully since my In-jury. He’s preddy good, too. Mom hopes I’ll get back to barrels next year. It’s her GOAL. Mine, too. Maybe we can even get to Nationals!!”
She exhaled a soft sigh/snort.
“It’s my goal, too!” echoed Cajun, who’d been munching grass. “I think we did a 16- or 17-second run once, which is preddy good. Mom says me an Poco are Polar Opposites, like, when I spook, I HOP! When SHE spooks, she REARS! WAY more dra-MATIC.”
“Humpf!” Poco snorted. “We have a buncha fun going to competitions,” she continued with enthusiasm. “Mom an her grrrl frens an us horses: There’s Gabby (a grrrl) and Jake (a horse); Tatum an Peaches; Piper an Red. Plus Fozzi, he’s a dog. We sometimes call Cajun Mr. Ed cuz he’s Very Talky.”
“Hay! Communication is Important!” Cajun said with a big ol’ Whinny.
Headin’ home, I was picturin’ Miss Poco an Cajun, their Mom on board, flyin’ like the wind around those barrels. I wonder if dogs are allowed to go to rodeos.
Till next time,
